Giesen The August 1888 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2013

The 2013 Giesen The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc reflects the meticulous care the Giesen team affords the winery’s flagship Sauvignon Blanc. Rich in color and redolent with the beguiling scents of fresh melons, lime leaves, and passionfruit, it is hard to resist guzzling this “extra ordinary” Sauvignon Blanc. But what a pity it would be to knock this wine down with nary a notice, as The August’s multi-layered fruit flavors meld in the mouth with uplifting minerality and notes of toasted almond and freshly baked brioche. The wine’s well-integrated oak flavors also add a fine complement, but never dominate. Instead, they enhance the wine, adding complexity and cachet. Long in the mouth and on the finish, you will not want to swallow The August, unless you can be sure to refill your glass. The 2013 August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc has earned many 90+ ratings, including 90 points from Wine Advocate. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest moderate chilling (40° F) before serving.

The 2013 Giesen The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc is the ideal wine to enjoy with seafood, salads, pastas and white meats. As an opening act, smoked salmon or trout make fine companions to this wine as will lightly seared crayfish cooked with lime and herb butter (a Giesen family favorite). As an added bonus, consider serving the crayfish with a side of homemade pasta in a light creamy sauce. Sea bass encrusted with toasted almonds or pecans and a simple plate of prawns dipped in drawn butter make fine complements, too. For a unique but equally rewarding experience, consider pairing The August 1888 with prosciutto wrapped shrimp and fresh pineapple served with a butternut squash crispy spring roll. Freshly caught grouper, prepared with a pumpkin seed pesto, and pork tenderloin, served with a dried cranberry and apple conserve, provide more exciting accompaniments to Giesen’s 2013 The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc. Aged Gouda also makes a fine way to finish a glass of Giesen’s exceptional Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy!

Giesen brothers, Theo, Alex and Marcel, craft exceptional wines at their family’s Blenheim estate in Marlborough on New Zealand’s South Island. Like most Marlborough producers, Sauvignon Blanc figures heavily in the estate’s portfolio, yet Giesen is hardly a one trick pony, as the estate fashions award winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling in addition to one of the most sumptuous Sauvignon Blancs made anywhere, the estate’s The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc (this month’s feature).

The Giesen brothers’ aim in creating The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc was expressly to dispel the myth that Sauvignon Blanc was Marlborough’s one trick pony, and that Marlborough was only capable of turning out simple, citrus-centric white wine with little complexity or panache. To this end, Giesen winemakers conducted experiments in the winery, treating different parcels of fruit with different yeasts and oak regimes, and began work with various parcels in the estate’s vineyards to bring The August Sauvignon Blanc to life in 2009. The Giesen brothers named The August 1888 in recognition of their grandfather, a restaurateur and sommelier with a passion for wine.

In addition to its superb summer climate, Marlborough also boasts excellent soil for grapes. Most of Marlborough consists of silt and free draining alluvial loams over gravelly sub-soils. In addition, river stones lie scattered throughout Marlborough, remnants of the many rivers that once coursed through the pretty valleys of Marlborough. These river stones store heat from the warm sunny days and radiate that heat back into the vineyards at night, thereby providing a unique microclimate and terroir, much like that of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Moreover, most Marlborough growers are committed to sustainable agricultural practices in order to preserve the region’s noble terroir. And the French thought they had a monopoly on terroir; we think not!

Giesen brothers, Theo, Alex and Marcel, craft exceptional wines at their family’s Blenheim estate in Marlborough on New Zealand’s South Island. Like most Marlborough producers, Sauvignon Blanc figures heavily in the estate’s portfolio, yet Giesen is hardly a one trick pony, as the estate fashions award winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling in addition to one of the most sumptuous Sauvignon Blancs made anywhere, the estate’s The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc (this month’s feature).

The Giesen brothers’ aim in creating The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc was expressly to dispel the myth that Sauvignon Blanc was Marlborough’s one trick pony, and that Marlborough was only capable of turning out simple, citrus-centric white wine with little complexity or panache. To this end, Giesen winemakers conducted experiments in the winery, treating different parcels of fruit with different yeasts and oak regimes, and began work with various parcels in the estate’s vineyards to bring The August Sauvignon Blanc to life in 2009. The Giesen brothers named The August 1888 in recognition of their grandfather, a restaurateur and sommelier with a passion for wine.

The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc is the result of low yielding, hand-selected parcels of Sauvignon Blanc grapes that are whole bunch pressed in barrel for fermentation on their solids using only wild yeasts. The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc then receives extended maturation on its lees, which impart both a rich texture and exceptional aromatic complexity – attributes rarely found in other New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.